This Week With Mark Mallory

The usual weekly press conferences with Mark Mallory have been on hiatus the last couple of weeks while City Council's on summer break. Until today, when he had a few things to say.


Mostly, he focused on this weekend's Macy's Music Festival and events surrounding it, saying he really wants people to come downtown and give the weekend a try. He knows some people, especially locals, have been uncomfortable about coming to the party in years past - after the 2001 riots and other issues.


"The message for this year is very clear - everyone is welcome in downtown Cincinnati," he said.


Also on his agenda:


1. He met Monday with representatives of Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann's office to talk about new ways the state agency can help Cincinnati fight crime;


2. Tuesday morning, he toured some of the seven MuralWorks projects, which employed 84 kids for the past almost six weeks. He says the project shows the importance of investing in young people, while also leaving a lasting effect on communities.


3. Wednesday, he meets with new Office of Environmental Quality Director Lawrence Falkin, who started the job July 2. Falkin was most recently with the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department in Kansas, where his title was deputy director for natural resources.


4. Friday, he meets with representatives of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. Brown, he said, has offered to help Cincinnati, so Mallory wants to meet with Brown's people to talk about how.


5. Also Friday, he's going to the Cincinnati Police Department's promotions ceremony, where 24 become sergeants and eight become specialists.


He offered this comment about the pending closure of The Cincinnati Post: "I've always found the Post to be a quality paper. And I think it's absolutely going to be a major loss. Absolutely."